Sps parasite?

[J Rog]

So I pulled a dead tort out of my tank today unfortunately. For some reason a couple of the sps in my tank are not doing so hot.. Anyway I pull it out and see slug like bugs on it and maybe eggs.. Here is a pic. How bad is this??

 

[143MPCo]

flatworms...
...I was going to add fenbendazol would work but I see @twilliard beat me to the punch

 

[twilliard]

Flat worm.
Fenbendazol will cure that problem just ask and I will help

 

[twilliard]

Further review of your picture shows two types of planaria.
Please look closely in your tank and let me know what kind of population you are seeing.
Also what is your tank total volume including sump, fuge

 

[J Rog]

Thanks guys! Thanks twilliard! I'm definitely could use the help. What's your suggestion on how to us Fenbendazol?

 

[J Rog]

I can't spot them on the others. But I didn't see it on the one in the pic until I pulled it out. My tank is about 160 total or so.

 

[twilliard]

By seeing the numbers on the coral I am suspecting that there are 1000's you are unaware of.
You can use fenbendazol to rid of them but with the numbers I am suspecting the toxins released will be too much for the tank. It would take pounds of carbon to pull the toxins quick enough to do no other damage.
Look close at your substrate, rocks. They will stick out like a sore thumb once you notice what you are looking for.
Have to act quick cause it looks like you have AEFW plus another species

 

[ritter6788]

You have Acro eating flatworms. You can see the eggs on the base too. Nothing kills eggs. Bayer dip works great on the worms but nothing works to kill the eggs. They can be beat but you need to get the healthy acro tissues separated from the eggs and dipped.

 

[twilliard]

I can't spot them on the others. But I didn't see it on the one in the pic until I pulled it out. My tank is about 160 total or so.

How heavily stocked is the tank?

 

[bct15]

What you see in the picture is red planaria flatworms, those are harmless photosynthetic flatworms that can be eliminated with flatworm exit but you'll be at risk of poisoning your tank. However, they will not kill your coral.

More of a scare is the aefw eggs on your coral, those are very bad and there is no intank reef safe treatment. The aefw are what's killing your coral, but you can not see them. There is one intank treatment that is also considered a possible cure for cancer so it's very expensive now. You'll need to dip your SPS in bayers to eliminate the living aefw and manually remove the eggs. The bayers doesn't kill the eggs, so multiple dips every three to five days is required...for a few weeks.

Good luck

 

[sawdonkey]

Aren't those aefw? They are darker brown than I've seen, but they have the right shape. The eggs however, are definitely Aefw. Red planaria have trident shaped tails and the ones in the pic are round. I think we're looking at aefw and aefw eggs.

 

[twilliard]

What you see in the picture is red planaria flatworms, those are harmless photosynthetic flatworms that can be eliminated with flatworm exit but you'll be at risk of poisoning your tank. However, they will not kill your coral.

More of a scare is the aefw eggs on your coral, those are very bad and there is no intank reef safe treatment. The aefw are what's killing your coral, but you can not see them. There is one intank treatment that is also considered a possible cure for cancer so it's very expensive now. You'll need to dip your SPS in bayers to eliminate the living aefw and manually remove the eggs. The bayers doesn't kill the eggs, so multiple dips every three to five days is required...for a few weeks.

Good luck

You say there is no in tank treatment?
Have you by chance studied the use of fenbendazol?
You would be surprised at how safe this is when used properly in treating many of today's pests.
I respect your input don't get me wrong.
A dip is just that. Not a tank cure.
When you see flatworm of any species they are hiding everywhere

 

[twilliard]

http://reefbuilders.com/2011/04/15/acropora-eating-flatworms/

 

[bct15]

You say there is no in tank treatment?
Have you by chance studied the use of fenbendazol?
You would be surprised at how safe this is when used properly in treating many of today's pests.
I respect your input don't get me wrong.
A dip is just that. Not a tank cure.
When you see flatworm of any species they are hiding everywhere

Which is why repeated dips of every coral is required, until you've eliminated them all. Fenbendazol treats planaria, not aefw. If you come up or discover an intank treatment for aefw you will have the potential to make a lot of money and revolutionize the hobby. Levamisole showed promise as an intank treatment, but it is known as a cure for cancer now so it is nearly impossible to get.

Aefw are only in one place, on acropora. You dip the acros and you will kill them off. I think you're confusing planaria with aefw, they are not the same.

 

[twilliard]

No confusion I have been studying these kinds of things for years
Thank you for your input!

 

[dkray944]

Man this sucks.... I would dip and separate as much as you can.

 

[J Rog]

Thanks for the input everyone! I kept thinking it was my radions burning them. Looks like this will be a lot harder then turning the radions down!

 

[twilliard]

Thanks for the input everyone! I kept thinking it was my radions burning them. Looks like this will be a lot harder then turning the radions down!

Yes indeed
The trick to AEFW is to get them to stir around during treatment

 

[bct15]

An FYI, about two years ago (maybe about a year longer) I did some testing on aefw. I placed five aefw in a 6 cup Tupperware container and adde various treatments to tank water.

I added a small dog interceptor spectrum chew to the container, and let it sit for four hours. Nothing happened to the aefw over this time and they were still moving around. The interceptor spectrum added a large dose of praziquantel to the container, which supposedly could work as an in tank treatment. You can did that here
https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/AEFW-and-praziquantel-(prazipro)-results.134669/

I then did a similar test with half of a fluke tab, the aefw stopped moving around and looked dead after I checked it thirty minutes later. After four hours I added the apparently dead aefw to a container with fresh tank water. After about an hour all of the aefw were moving around and appeared fine again. This has an ingredient very similar to fenbendazole.

I also let them sit in a container of bayers dip for about an hour. All of the aefw were shriveled up an curled up...and looked obviously dead. After transferring the apparently dead aefw to fresh tank water, one of the aefw started moving. The rest were dead. The one that looked like it was still alive was definitely dead about an hour later.

I no longer have any aefw to test with since I'm starting my tank over after a Lon distance move.

 

[twilliard]

I love your study process!
This is what I have been doing and good to see someone take the same approach.
I use a 20 gallon tank or my 2.5g tank for studies.
Praziquantel is close in chemical make up for sure but is different
The thing about people using a (tab) to treat tanks thought is met with great caution
I prepare, from my opinion, 98% pure fenbendazol
I guess I can say I am here to help people from making disastrous decisions by dosing or using something they no nothing about when it comes to the chemistry of the (tablet )
I have tested fenbendazol with all common flatworm even the aewf species a long with hydroids and unwanted corals.
I use peroxide to get them to, let go, of the acropora.
Then dose fenbendazol in the tank, and when they try to reattach then they get a good dinner of fenbenz.
Glad to see another open mind here
My name is Todd